How to Use heavy-handed in a Sentence

heavy-handed

adjective

• This show had to find a tonal balance and say something, but do so in a way that doesn’t feel heavy-handed.
  — Michael Schneider, Variety, 13 June 2023
• One: Grab a bucket and fill it with water and 1/4 cup or a few squirts of dish soap (don’t be heavy-handed).
  — Angela Belt, House Beautiful, 8 Mar. 2023
• This is a heavy-handed use of a law originally written for the Mafia.
  — The Editors, National Review, 16 Aug. 2023
• In yet another heavy-handed move, the hunters even turn up with torches toward the end.
  — Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2024
• The few heavy-handed moments are mostly due to the narration.
  — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 14 June 2024
• For the Eagles to get such a heavy-handed win, and for both teams to clam up as to what happened, only added more intrigue to the story.
  — Ben Volin, BostonGlobe.com, 6 May 2023
• There’s a real threat of backlash to Trump’s heavy-handed approach.
  — Matias Spektor, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2025
• Rights groups have accused police in France of responding to the wave of protests with heavy-handed tactics.
  — Morgan Coates, Washington Post, 28 Mar. 2023
• But, when the Evil Queen takes over, her dark manner and heavy-handed leadership oppress the people.
  — Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 20 Mar. 2025
• But, when the Evil Queen takes over, her dark manner and heavy-handed leadership oppress the people.
  — Lynnette Nicholas, Parents, 20 Mar. 2025
• Those charges have prompted criticism from some that the state is being heavy-handed.
  — Jeff Martin and Jeff Amy, ajc, 7 Mar. 2023
• Those charges have prompted criticism from some that the state is being heavy-handed.
  — Jeff Martin and Jeff Amy, Anchorage Daily News, 6 Mar. 2023
• The protests resulted in scores of civilian deaths amid a heavy-handed response from Kenyan police.
  — Larry Madowo, CNN, 12 July 2024
• Now Page steps into the firing line against the heavy-handed Magomedov as the betting underdog.
  — Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025
• Some protests in recent weeks have turned violent and have been met by a heavy-handed police response.
  — Aurelien Breeden, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2023
• Some protests in recent weeks have turned violent and have been met by a heavy-handed police response.
  — Aurelien Breeden, BostonGlobe.com, 14 Apr. 2023
• De Moraes has been criticized for his heavy-handed tactics.
  — Jon Brodkin, Ars Technica, 4 Sep. 2024
• Two police units known for their heavy-handed tactics were disbanded after the DOJ launched its probe.
  — Isaac Avilucea, Axios, 7 Dec. 2024
• His second victory has revived fears that Trump would seize MPD, then order it to be heavy-handed on city streets.
  — Cuneyt Dil, Axios, 24 Feb. 2025
• But a second major critique of DEI focuses on the heavy-handed policing of ideas.
  — Suzanne Nossel, Twin Cities, 3 Apr. 2025
• Within hours, one of the first accounts that posted it was suspended — a response so rare and heavy-handed that some users took it as a sign the leaks must be real.
  — Will Oremus, Washington Post, 26 July 2024
• This might get tiresome — a heavy-handed dose of reflexive self-loathing — except the curators don’t follow through on the idea.
  — Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2024
• The heavy-handed attempt to force Biden to quit the race after his disastrous debate has, predictably, backfired.
  — Dana Milbank, Washington Post, 12 July 2024
• Sometimes, weighty implication can feel more heavy-handed than just stating the thing straight out.
  — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2023
• But Purdue University board of trustees chair Michael Berghoff said the bill wouldn't change much, expressing doubt that the board would take a heavy-handed approach.
  — Ethan Sandweiss, NPR, 22 Mar. 2024
• The move, which drew condemnation across the region, sent a message in line with Mr. Noboa’s heavy-handed approach to violence and graft.
  — Genevieve Glatsky, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
• Having his fingerprints all over the offense raised the specter Napier’s hold was too heavy-handed when the Gators struggled to a 6-7 finish capped by a three-game losing streak.
  — Edgar Thompson, Orlando Sentinel, 29 Mar. 2023
• Dayana talks about being treated like an animal by Elias, and with the donkeys and goat and chickens always around in the motel yard, that metaphor feels heavy-handed.
  — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 May 2024
• Some of Noboa’s heavy-handed crime-fighting tactics have come under scrutiny for testing the limits of laws and norms of governing.
  — Regina Garcia Cano, Chicago Tribune, 14 Apr. 2025
• Scott, who wrote the episode, is really good at taking us to the heavy-handed moments, getting us there, and then finding a way to lighten it up really quickly with some sort of quip, which that scene also does.
  — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 11 Apr. 2025